Volusia County Council looks ahead to 2013

SunRail, ECHO, beach issues among top priorities

Published: Friday, December 28, 2012 at 5:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 28, 2012 at 5:22 p.m.

The new year will bring four new members to the Volusia County Council -- along with a string of not-so-new issues that could become big ones in 2013.

After a year that saw big changes of its own -- like the county's takeover of the EVAC ambulance service and consolidation of emergency dispatch -- there's still plenty left to do.

Over the next year, the council's likely to:

• Talk more urgently about SunRail. Construction on part of the commuter rail line started this year in DeBary, but Volusia officials want to bring it to Daytona Beach. A connection would link the theme parks of Orlando with the beaches of Daytona -- an idea local leaders used to justify the project when it was first forming.

An alternatives analysis planned for 2015 will help determine if and where the line extends -- and Councilman Josh Wagner said the council needs to discuss locations.

• Decide how ECHO works in the future. The taxpayer-funded Environmental, Cultural, Historical and Outdoor Recreation grant program is in the second half of its 20-year lifespan, and things are changing.

Earlier this year, the council approved spending half the remaining revenue on waterfront land, increasing public access to the ocean and rivers. At the last meeting of the year, the council also delayed the current ECHO grant cycle until spring.

Before those grants come around, the council likely will have a discussion on where to focus future ECHO money. Some of it could be used for projects like boat launches or access roads on those waterfront lands.

• Explore a commercial spaceport in Southeast Volusia. District 3 Councilwoman-elect Deb Denys met last week with Frank DiBello, the president of Space Florida, to talk about a potential launch site near the Volusia-Brevard county line.

"Private space flight is a proven job creator, and this launch complex with its related processing facilities and manufacturing plants will bring hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs to Volusia County," Denys said.

• Recruit JetBlue for Daytona Beach International Airport. The county-run airport has two airlines today -- Delta and US Airways -- but county officials are trying to attract JetBlue and its direct flights to and from New York. The only direct connections now are Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C.

The Halifax Area Ad Authority recently approved paying $150,000 of a $400,000 campaign to advertise the service if it comes true. County Manager Jim Dinneen hasn't made any predictions but has expressed optimism about JetBlue.

• Consider another parking garage in Daytona's ezone (again). Wagner made this suggestion in 2011 and didn't get very far, but he said he wants to revisit it.

His original idea was to use some of the ECHO waterfront money to build a multilevel garage just east of the Peabody Auditorium. The land is owned by Daytona Beach and leased by the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, and Wagner said he'd been discussing a deal with both of them.

Wagner argued a large garage would provide more beach parking than a series of separate land buys, but the council rejected the idea and it didn't come back.

• Continue evolving on the beach. Another of 2012's big changes was an active shift in the way the beach runs. Aside from several rule changes, the county said it wants to scale back the law enforcement side of the Beach Patrol.

Meanwhile, incoming County Chair Jason Davis has said he wants to explore putting the Sheriff's Office in control, absorbing the Beach Patrol. The sheriff has said in the past that he's more than willing to do that.

The new council members are Davis as chairman, Denys in District 3, Doug Daniels in District 4 and Pat Patterson in District 1 -- although he's been on the council before. They outnumber incumbents Wagner, Joyce Cusack and Pat Northey.

Four seats will be back up for a vote two years from now: Patterson's, Denys', Northey's and Cusack's.

<p>The new year will bring four new members to the Volusia County Council -- along with a string of not-so-new issues that could become big ones in 2013.</p><p>After a year that saw big changes of its own -- like the county's takeover of the EVAC ambulance service and consolidation of emergency dispatch -- there's still plenty left to do.</p><p>Over the next year, the council's likely to:</p><p>&bull; Talk more urgently about SunRail. Construction on part of the commuter rail line started this year in DeBary, but Volusia officials want to bring it to Daytona Beach. A connection would link the theme parks of Orlando with the beaches of Daytona -- an idea local leaders used to justify the project when it was first forming.</p><p>An alternatives analysis planned for 2015 will help determine if and where the line extends -- and Councilman Josh Wagner said the council needs to discuss locations.</p><p>&bull; Decide how ECHO works in the future. The taxpayer-funded Environmental, Cultural, Historical and Outdoor Recreation grant program is in the second half of its 20-year lifespan, and things are changing.</p><p>Earlier this year, the council approved spending half the remaining revenue on waterfront land, increasing public access to the ocean and rivers. At the last meeting of the year, the council also delayed the current ECHO grant cycle until spring.</p><p>Before those grants come around, the council likely will have a discussion on where to focus future ECHO money. Some of it could be used for projects like boat launches or access roads on those waterfront lands.</p><p>&bull; Explore a commercial spaceport in Southeast Volusia. District 3 Councilwoman-elect Deb Denys met last week with Frank DiBello, the president of Space Florida, to talk about a potential launch site near the Volusia-Brevard county line.</p><p>"Private space flight is a proven job creator, and this launch complex with its related processing facilities and manufacturing plants will bring hundreds, if not thousands, of jobs to Volusia County," Denys said.</p><p>&bull; Recruit JetBlue for Daytona Beach International Airport. The county-run airport has two airlines today -- Delta and US Airways -- but county officials are trying to attract JetBlue and its direct flights to and from New York. The only direct connections now are Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C.</p><p>The Halifax Area Ad Authority recently approved paying $150,000 of a $400,000 campaign to advertise the service if it comes true. County Manager Jim Dinneen hasn't made any predictions but has expressed optimism about JetBlue.</p><p>&bull; Consider another parking garage in Daytona's ezone (again). Wagner made this suggestion in 2011 and didn't get very far, but he said he wants to revisit it.</p><p>His original idea was to use some of the ECHO waterfront money to build a multilevel garage just east of the Peabody Auditorium. The land is owned by Daytona Beach and leased by the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, and Wagner said he'd been discussing a deal with both of them.</p><p>Wagner argued a large garage would provide more beach parking than a series of separate land buys, but the council rejected the idea and it didn't come back.</p><p>&bull; Continue evolving on the beach. Another of 2012's big changes was an active shift in the way the beach runs. Aside from several rule changes, the county said it wants to scale back the law enforcement side of the Beach Patrol.</p><p>Meanwhile, incoming County Chair Jason Davis has said he wants to explore putting the Sheriff's Office in control, absorbing the Beach Patrol. The sheriff has said in the past that he's more than willing to do that.</p><p>The new council members are Davis as chairman, Denys in District 3, Doug Daniels in District 4 and Pat Patterson in District 1 -- although he's been on the council before. They outnumber incumbents Wagner, Joyce Cusack and Pat Northey.</p><p>Four seats will be back up for a vote two years from now: Patterson's, Denys', Northey's and Cusack's.</p>